User blog:Battlefan237/The Pursuit of Perfection: Professor Pyg vs. Herbert West
For hundreds of years have humans been seeking to achieve perfection. Today we have two individuals that take the idea of perfection to extreme. Lazlo Valentine, the hog-themed villain of Gotham City that deems the normal appearance of human body blasphemous, and conducts unholy experiments on his victims to cure their imperfection. Herbert West,Lovecraft's most underwhelming creation (according to Lovecraft himself) who manages to eliminate mankind's most obvious imperfection - death, in the most bizarre way possible. In this duel between mad scientists seeking perfection, who will win ? Herbert West Herbert West is a fictional character created by H. P. Lovecraft for his short story "Herbert West—Reanimator".. There have been several film adaptations of the story including Herbert West as played by Jeffrey Combsin the Re-Animator (film series) which include the 1985 Re-Animator film and its two sequels, Bride of Re-Animator and Beyond Re-Animator. Being the inventor of a special solution that when injected into a main artery of a recently deceased person causes the body's mechanical, living functions to return, West dedicated his life to bringing the dead back to life. However, most subjects that have undergone the "re-animation" process have turned violent and, after failed attempts to return to their own graves, have terrorized the communities into which they were reanimated. Frustrated by his failed projects again and again, West would eventually go mad and resort to murder to gain "fresh" specimen for his experiment, creating chaos with his experiments where ever he went. Short Range= Several syringes filled with tranquilizers. West uses them to tranquilize his victims. For the purpose of this battle he'll be packed with three of them. |-|Medium Range= An iron pipe used by West in the second movie. He used it to defeat a reanimator charging towards him via a single powerful swinging to the head. For the purpose of this battle we will render this weapon 80 - 100 cm in length. |-|Long Range= A shovel whose head is sharpened for the purpose of decapitation. This weapon is West's most iconic tool of death which he used on several occasions and with great skills, being able to knock down a man with one strike and chop off his head with ease. |-|Firearm= A normal M1911 used by West in the second movie. West, while not really an expert marksman, is able to use it with passable accuracy, judging from the fact that he was able to fight off several reanimators with this pistol. |-|Special= A piece of cloth treated with a chemical which causes instant cardiac arrest when inhaled. Police officer Chapham, a relatively strong man, was killed by it instantly. |-|Minions= Reanimators, as suggested by their obvious name, are products of West's research and failed attempts in resurrecting the dead. These creatures come in the form of reanimated corpses that are either stolen by West from morgues and graves or people murdered by West.They came back to life because West injected his reanimator reagent into their bodies.For the purpose of this battle four of the creatures will be present. And to be fair Doctor Hill won't be one of them because he would almost certainly turn against West. Assets They are smarter than normal zombies and some even retained their human intelligence, being able to pull off ambushes, set traps and even rebelling against West.They are incredibly durable as well, being able to tank heavy damages from pistol and rifle fires, as well as continuing to operate for a while even when their head have been chopped off.Their reflection seems to be enhanced as well, as indicated by the fact that reanimators can preform ridiculous body stretching at times.Their main method of attacking is, as with most zombies, grabbing and biting, while they also possess wacky abilities such as spitting out disgusting fluids and shooting their intestines out to strangle/tear apart opponents. Drawbacks Their heads are their major weakness.West's control over them is limited. They can easily go rogue when their instinct get the better of them or when they remember West murdered their human past. Professor Pyg Lazlo Valentin's past is unknown. Allegedly, he was a chemist for a secret organization Spyral, who created a powerful thought-damping drug that mimics the effects of Alzheimer's disease. Trapped by their technology, he escaped the only way he could - a schizphrenic break, and a new persona named Professor Pyg. Escaping, he formed the Circus of the Strange. It is unknown what happened next, but apparently he was approached by Doctor Hurt and convinced to "share his vision" with Gotham City. Pyg moved the Circus of Strange to Gotham, announcing the "Year of the Pig". Pyg started the campaign of making people "perfect", as his minions (Dollotrons) . He then captured Robin. All of this is part of Dr. Hurt's plan. Pyg then tries to introduce an addictive "identity destroying" drug into the city via his Dollotrons. The drug is sold to various different gangs and mobs who use it to control prostitutes. However, Batman quickly puts an end to this - he rescues Robin and subdue Pyg and capture all of his Dollotrons. Pyg is arrested and taken to Arkham Asylum. From then on this psychotic criminal remained in Gotham as a regular foe for the Caped Crusader, constantly creating chaos in the city and acted as the mastermind behind several grand schemes, while occasionally messing with other heroes of DC. Short Range= A common meat cleaver with no special feature is Pyg's most iconic killing tool.Pyg is incredibly skilled in using it, being able to outfight SWAT team officers and even put up fights against Batman with its help. |-|Medium Range= An electric buzzsaw that Pyg uses to chop apart/modify his victims. The saw blades of this weapon can be extended forward. For the purpose of this battle the saw in the picture above will be used because let's be frank all buzzsaws look the same. |-|Long Range= I literally went through tons of pages to look for a proper long range weapon for Pyg. In the end I manage to find out that a pitchfork is present in the background several times in Pyg's base and Circus of Strange, therefore rendering it as Pyg's long range tool. It is of average pitchfork length. |-|Firearm= A sawn-off shotgun with no stats is the weapon that Pyg has been seen with on several occasions.His skill in using it is unknown, likely ranging from average to above average, but certainly not expert-level.Due to Pyg's love for classical/nostalgic music, weapons and tools we'll cast the iconic Lupara as this weapon. |-|Special= An electric drill used by Pyg to conduct some very disgusting experiments on his victims. |-|Minions= In his questionable quest for perfection, Professor Pyg performed terrible operations and brainwashing on ordinary men and women. Pyg's victims were turned into Dollotrons, identical living life-sized dolls, who follow orders with robotic precision.For the purpose there will be four of them present. Assets They follow everything Pyg orders.They possess superhuman strength because they can tear apart humans and even enhanced humans like Ripper with ease.They are capable combatants despite their nature, being able to combat the likes of Batman and Red Hood toe to toe.They don't really have any particular weak points based on their performance in comics. Drawbacks They are quite dumb and possess very little intelligence.Their speed stats are inconsistent for some of them can keep up with Batmobile while some others are outran by good old commissioner Gordon. However on most occasions they are depicted as slow-moving robotic beings.They are strong but they can be killed by normal police forces with firearms. X-factors (PYG - WEST) *'Mental Health :20-75':Right off the bat I'm gonna tell you that both of these guys are far from textbook definition of sanity.West, while too obsessed with his research, remains the personality of a normal human when not absorbed in his research. Professor Pyg is too crazy even by Arkham Asylum's standards, being a complete lunatic that dresses dons a Pyg mask and experiments on people while listening to opera. *'Combat :75-60':Pyg, while not the best fighter out there, is pretty muscular and can definitely put up a fight against Batman and can overpower other low-level vigilantes. West, despite his nerdy appearance, can hold his own against several reanimators, but just not as a capable fighter as Pyg. *'Experience : 85-75':Pyg, as one of the many regular foes of Batman, has been fighting Batman, Red Hood, Nightwing and other Gotham-based vigilantes for several years, during which he himself has pulled off several schemes to reign city/surge chaos, and cooperated with other villains in large schemes on several occasions, most notably Scarecrow.Pyg has also once been recruited by Talia Al Ghul and played a role in a global scheme.Apart from this before he entered Gotham he has been a secret agent for Spyral,a global terrorist organization. West, on the other hand, while he has been researching about reanimating dead bodies for decades, only dealt with corpses that went rogue and people that poke their noses into his research. *'Intelligence : 85-85':Both men are incredibly smart in both medical fields and planning. Both are educated in advanced medical institutions and possess extensive knowledge about human body. Both are able to make plans/schemes, either to cause chaos or to escape from danger. *'Creativity : 80-85':Both men are creative individuals.But if I were to pick a winner I would say West, because in every single movie he finds himself in seemingly hopeless situations and comes up with creative plans to evadee with his sharp wits and quick reaction towards outer situations. Pyg, while certainly creative in his crime and plans, is not as fast-thinking as his enemy here and has been shown to be outperformed by individuals with quicker wits. *'Brutality : 100 - 85':West is only brutal to his future subjects and people that attempt to sabotage his research, while Pyg is a homicidal maniac like Joker. Battle Professor Pyg : Herbert West : West of Arkham Asylum the Narrow flows quietly, spreading the stench from the backyard of that god forsaken place to the slums and sewers nearby. Deeply into one of the seemingly abandoned sewers, a makeshift morgue containing the corpses of dead patients and staff from the Asylum has been established by Gotham City’s craziest surgeon Professor Pyg in order to store valuable resources for his quest for human perfection. Today, another brilliant but insane mind enters this realm of dread, as the infamous creator of the abominations known as the Reanimators, Herbert West, marches into the sewer. With his standard set of equipment, both medical and botanical, if you get what I mean, Dr. West strides down the rat-infested tunnel, seemingly unaware of the horror ahead. Only a short period of time has passed when the first Sphinxes that guards the secret experiment chamber comes into West’s sight. Sneakily, the doctor bends down to avoid been sighted by the Dollotron. As the dumb zombie passes by the pile of trash West has been hiding behind the doctor launches himself forward in a rapid manner, injecting a whole volume of tranquilizer into the Dollotron’s neck. To his genuine shock the syringe assault turns out useless, as the already-stiffened body of Pyg’s victim reacts to the ambush with a violent push, sending West tumbling backwards into the trash. Startled, West draws out his M1911 and empties the first few rounds into its chest, killing the imperfect zombie instantly . "A vistor ? Oh ho, ho ! Pyg happy, Pyg glad, Pyg gets to play with new flesh, make it look pretty after death!" A voice shouts from a few steps behind, and a few animal-like snorts follows up. Almost immediately, several homemade lamps get turned on, revealing the morgue and its master, Lazlo Valentine, standing behind an operation desk roughly 20 meters away. “''Look what have you done to my beautiful work of art ! Scarlet is just a few inches from perfection, and you have ruined her. No worries though, Pyg will fix her again, and Pyg will fix you too ! Pyg is like god ! Pyg will fix us all ! SQUEALLLLLLLLL !” The mad man yells, as the three remaining Dollotrons gather around him. “I must say, Dr. Valentine, I'm very disappointed in you. You steal the secret of life and death from me and here you are, dressing like a filthy animal and trying to play god. You're not even a second-rate scientist. What you are doing is an insult to all these fresh specimens you have obtained. Get away from that desk and stop exercising your stolen theories.” Denounces West, as he points to the dead bodies piling around the desk. “''SQUEALLLLLL ! SQUEALLLL ! Interesting, another imperfect mind trying to challenge the sheer perfection of Pyg. Get him for mommy !” Commands Lazlo, pushing the army of dolls forward. “You really think I came here alone with no backups do you ?” Herbert sighs, as he pulls out a whistle from his pocket and blows it. Once the noise is out, the reanimated corpses of Officer Chapman and three other unfortunate souls dart out from multiple spots, charging towards Professor Pyg. One of them, however, is apparently too hungry to fight and gets drawn to the massive amount of food present in the arena, as it buries its head deep into the decaying body of an asylum nurse stabbed to death by Mr.Zsasz a few days ago and began gorging over her rotted face voraciously. “''Quick, come back my children ! Protect your mommy !” Professor Pyg shouts, as he ducks ahead and clutches his shotgun. The first pump turns out to be successful ,as the leading Reanimator’s head gets blown up by the double rounds. With its nerve system totally destroyed, the resurrected man quickly receives his second ticket to heaven . Delighted by the result Pyg reloads his gun fast enough to make a second shot which lands on another Reanimator’s belly, making a large hole on its unstable body, thus preventing it from marching forward. However, to the psycho’s shock, the zombie’s intestines pops out of the hole and swings forward wildly, hitting him by the arm and therefore knocking him off the platform. Dropping the shotgun Pyg grabs up a buzzsaw laying nearby in haste just in time to block the incoming intestine attack. Liquid in yellow and green mixed with remaining of the victim’s blood flood out of the chopped-off intestines, splattering all over Pyg’s mask. “''Yummy, beautiful ! Beautiful but imperfect !” He comments, as he sticks out his tongue from the hole on the mask to lick the gelatinous goo. This particular scene even arouses a strong impulse to vomit from the mind of Doctor West, who witnesses it from a distance. Retrieving his remaining intestines, the Reanimator meets its doom at the hands of the three Dollotrons, who stagger back robotically and viciously tear it apart with their brute strength .However, the unanimous behavior of Pyg's products grants Herbert West with a chance to approach them from the back, completely whacking one of them's brain with his shovel .The other two soon turn back and the first one of whom grabs the shovel's hand and snaps it, forcing West to switch to the metal pipe. A quick swing to the head is enough to knock it aside and into Chapman's arms where the Dollotron is viciously mangled into pieces . When his canon fodders are busy dealing with West and his super undeads, Pyg himself is locked in the task of backstabbing the other reanimator, who is still enjoying his feast. Carefully edging to its position, Pyg presses an electric drill to the back of its head. The reanimator is too intoxicated in his meal that when the deadly buzzing sound arises he has no chance to fight back before the drill pierces its brain, devastating its body function . Back to West's side, the last Dollotron turns out to be a piece of cake for the scientist and his pet, as West spends the remaining rounds of his pistol on its head . Turning back and horrified to see all of his minions either torn apart or brain dead, Pyg panics but soon calms down. "Pyg not happy, Pyg feels bad, but Pyg's seen worse, Pyg's fought Bane, Pyg can make it out alive." Buffing him up with a few words of self-assurance he picks up a pitchfork leaning to the wall and tosses it towards Chapman, who shrugs off the feeble damage but is distracted long enough to allow Pyg to retrieve his Buzzsaw and cleaver from the desk. The trade of blows follows up, as Chapman launches forward, only to be cut in the left arm by the saw and hacked on the other arm by the blade. Attempting to deal more damage to the creature Pyg aggressively swings his knife forward, only to be blocked by the undead's extended arm. This swift attack has exhausted most of Pyg's energy. The obese man backs off helplessly and lifts up his buzzsaw in a desperate attempt of self defense, only to have the creature lift him up and slam him on the wall, rendering him no longer able to fight. "Now it's time for a body fresh enough." Says West, as he steps onto the desk, taking out the chemical cloth in order to apply it to the psychopath. However, it is at this very moment, something tangled deep, deep inside Chapman's half-rotted brain gets triggered. The all-too-familiar cloth that took his life manages to dig into the Reanimator's memory and squeeze out the most unpleasant flashback of this very unlucky man. "You piece of shit ! What have you done to me !!!!" Roars the officer, as he turns to West and grabs him by the collar. "I will kill you ! I will rip your heart out !" He yells, with sheer rage and agony, as he delivers a punch to the doctor's chest, sending him tumbling down the platform. "Wait, wait, hold up, let me explain this ! Chapman, I didn't and I never meant to kill you, at least not for eternity. I only temporarily pause your life so that you can play a part in a great work. A great work to create new life ! A great work .... " Explains Doctor West, as he exerts himself to regain control over his pet. The psychic energy that entitled him with this gift came mysteriously and left mysteriously at random times, and he has not yet figured out a pattern scientific enough for him to preserve it. "Calm down Chapman, you see, you are alive ! You are the living proof that I have conquered death !" He staggers back, as Chapman hops forward like a broken animal."Don't follow me ! It's the one behind you to blame !" He exclaims, as he edges left, leading Chapman to the trap he has picked out. West's deliberate plan proves to be effective, as the angry dead man reaches the spot where the broken spade rests silently in the dark section of the tunnel which the light of the faint lamp cannot illuminate.Stepping on the broken tool the zombie topples and slips, as the sharpened head of the gardening tool pokes into the Reanimator's rotted toes, injecting a string of pain into Chapman's dead but still conscious body. Roaring in pain the lieutenant collapses down, only to provide West with the precious chance to deliver a blow to its head with the pipe. With the brain of the zombie once again bashed,Chapman's sanity soon wears off, and the ferocity of the Reanimator seems to be growing back in the creature's glowing eyes.However, West spares no hesitation swinging his pipe for a second time, sending the man into a hole leading to the sewer floor beneath the experiment chamber, for he cannot risk putting himself in the danger of a second act of treason. The noise of Chapman's body clashing the sewer floor brings West temporary relief, however, the relief is soon transformed into a sense of bewilderment, as the noise of another life echoes from the floor below. Judging from the step, this newcomer is a creature of rather enormous status. And to West's terror, the creature lets out a series of dreadful chants in a coarse, low voice. "Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday ! Christened on Tuesday, married on Wednesday..." What follows up, is the helpless wriggles of Chapman's husk,as the newcomer crushes the Reanimator with its weight,finally allowing the poor lieutenant to rest in peace, albeit in a not-so-subtle way . Lucky for both West and Professor Pyg, the creature cares little about their business above, and simply walks away from the bottom, without taking a single glance back at the twisted flesh. Seeing his foe distracted the psycho professor makes a final attempt to crawl away from the scene, which turns out to be fruitless, as West soon catches up with the fat man and tranquilizes him, putting an end to his madness . 5 hours later It is too late when GCPD's men and the Caped Crusader arrives at the chamber to recapture the escaped convict, for Pyg's body, with his stomach gutted open, rests on the table, with Doctor West standing nearby . "Jesus Christ ! Professor Pyg is dead ! And what's the hell is going on with all these dead men lying around ? " Detective Bullocks asks in shock and disgust, as he makes his way through the torn-apart remains of the Dollotrons and Reanimators. "They are people murdered by Professor Valentine, whom I am now experimenting on." West says, calmly. "Who the hell are you ? " "Herbert West, a scientist." "Look like we have a new player in town." Says Bullock, sarcastically, as he turns to Batman with a tired expression. "I wouldn't call him a new player, for he is the mastermind behind several medical disasters in Miskatonic and Peru. And back to the main question, did you kill Professor Pyg ?" Asks Batman, as he shoots a glare at Herbert West, who responds with a frown, as he tries to contemplate the proper words to describe and summarize the blasphemous and yet mind-blowing things he has been doing to the dead body of that mad man for the past few hours.After a few seconds of searching in his brain, he gives out the line he deems proper in a determined tone : "No, I didn't kill him. Instead, I gave him life !" Expert's Opinion Although Professor Pyg is obviously the more experienced schemer, his weapons lack practicality and his zombie minions are outmatched by West's super zombie minions. In addition, West is physically more adjusted and mentally stabler than Pyg, allowing him to come on top and walk out alive. Category:Blog posts